Communication systems are known to include a plurality of communication devices and supporting wireless infrastructure. The plurality of communication devices include land mobile radios, portable radios, and/or cellular telephones. The supporting infrastructure includes base stations, communication resources, base station controllers, and/or mobile switching centers. To access a communication service, a communication device transmits an inbound signaling word to the communication infrastructure.
Upon receiving the inbound signaling word ("ISW"), the communication infrastructure determines whether the communication device is authorized to access the requested service. If authorized, the communication infrastructure then determines whether there are sufficient communication resources available to service the particular request. If communication resources are available for the particular request, the communication infrastructure allocates them to the requesting communication device. Having obtained the communication resources, the communication device may access the service.
One such service that communication devices may initiate is a group communication. In a group communication, a requesting communication device is requesting that the communication infrastructure establish a group communication between the requesting communication device and targeted communication devices. A group communication request includes the identity of the requesting device and the identity of a pre-established group. The pre-established group is generally referred to as a "talk group." As such, any member of a communication group may establish a group communication with the other members by transmitting a group communication request to the communication infrastructure.
In many group communication applications, the requesting party desires to establish the group communication for a particular reason. The requesting communication device, however, is limited to establishing group communications with members of pre-established groups. As such, a subscriber unit (i.e., a communication device) cannot dynamically establish a group communication.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus that allows communication devices to establish dynamic group communications.